The excitement continued during the second week of the 2012 NFL playoffs, as those teams that advanced to the Divisional Round were left with a tough act to follow after Wild Card weekend.  And they didn’t disappoint, thanks in large part to an extraordinary finish in San Francisco, another exciting finish in Baltimore, and a big upset in Green Bay.  Each of those contests, along with the weekend’s other game, which featured a romp by the Patriots over the Broncos, treated us to plenty of great plays.

Below, we treat you to the five best from this weekend’s NFL playoff action.

5.  Lee Evans one-handed grab - There weren’t many spectacular plays in this game, largely due to the stellar play of both defensive units.  However, we were treated to one incredible play on offense, and it comes courtesy of the left hand of Ravens’ wide receiver Lee Evans, who made this grab late in the third quarter to give his team the first down and keep their drive alive.

4.  Alex Smith 28-yard Touchdown Run - Alex Smith was having a terrific day throwing the ball, but his best play of the day may have been the one he made with his feet late in the fourth quarter with his team trailing by one point.  This looked like it would be the game-winning touchdown, but little did we know that he would need one more thrilling moment in order to earn the victory for his team.  Needless to say, this won’t be the last you see of Alex Smith on this list.

3.  Deion Branch 61-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady - With just over two minutes remaining in the first half and the New England Patriots leading by a score of 21-7, they looked to be in control, but Brady knew that there was still plenty of time for him to add more points on the board before heading into the locker room for halftime.  He wouldn’t take long to add those points, as he connected with Deion Branch down the sideline on the first play of the drive for the 61-yard touchdown.

2.  Hakeem Nicks 37-yard Hail Mary Touchdown Reception from Eli Manning - With only six seconds remaining in the first half and the ball on the Packers’ 37-yard line, many of the people inside Lambeau, including the Packers’ defense, probably figured the Giants would simply try to set up a long field-goal attempt.  They didn’t.  Instead, the Giants went for it all, as Eli aired one out to Nicks, who came down with the ball in the end zone and gave his team a 20-10 lead heading into the half.

1.  Vernon Davis Game-Winning Touchdown Pass From Alex Smith - During what may have been the most exciting final four minutes of any playoff game in NFL history, the San Francisco 49ers capped off their brilliant game-winning drive in the final minute with this touchdown pass from Alex Smith to Vernon Davis, which gave them the 36-32 victory while bringing back memories of Montana-to-Clark and Young-to-Owens in the process. Here is another look at the play, with calls from both the Saints’ and the 49ers’ radio stations.

And in addition to making its way into the books as one of the all-time great catches in franchise’s history, Vernon Davis’ game-winning touchdown was also worthy of its very own Tecmo Bowl remake.

Check it out.

He sure was!

The 49ers Pro-Bowl tight end provided his team with an inspirational pre-game speech on the field prior to the start of their Monday Night battle with the Arizona Cardinals.  And the player who appeared to be most inspired by Vernon Davis‘ words was…himself!!!

Emotions are always running high prior to a football game as players perform their pre-game chats, chants and cheers, but is it ever a good thing to be crying minutes before you are expected to take the field and play one of the most physical sports on the planet?  I wouldn’t think so, but it did appear to work out well for the 49ers in this instance.

Then again, after watching the embarrassing effort put forth by the Cards, Davis likely wasn’t the only one who found himself with tears in his eyes on Monday night.  As for Arizona’s quarterback, Derek Anderson, you would have to believe that he would be among those shedding tears, but he chose to laugh it off instead.

Hat Tip – [The Big Lead]

It can be difficult to identify such players, and that is why we here at TPS are going to help you out. Each Tuesday for the remainder of the season, we will give you some players to look out for that may be on your waiver wire. These players are the ones we assume are available in most leagues, but beware. There may be better free agents out there that we have not listed because we just assume that someone should already have taken them. If one of those guys is a free agent in your league, PICK HIM UP!

Here is a look at some guys you may want to take a look at in you league:

Mark Sanchez, NYJ, QB: Me mentioned Sanchez last week and for those of you who were not listening, we will mention him again.  The former USC Trojan is likely still avaliable in many leagues, and for those in need of a quarterback, Sanchez is your man.  With bye weeks coming up, a reliable backup QB is needed, and with matchups against New Orleans, Oakland, Buffalo and Miami twice over the next five weeks, Sanchez may become quite the valuable asset.

Glen Coffee, SF, RB:  After going through the entire week feeling the pain of an ankle injury, 49ers running back Frank Gore went down during his first play of Sunday’s game against the Vikings.  He is expected to miss three weeks and that means rokkie Glen Coffee will be stepping in to replace him.  San Francisco plays the Rams and Falcons over the next two weeks, followed by a bye.  Those are two questionable run defenses and that may result in a nice stat line for Coffee.

Pierre Garcon, IND, WR: Here is one guy we mentioned after the first week whe Anthony Gonzalez went down.  It appears as though Garcon has taken over the number two wideout position ahead of Austin Collie, and when you have Peyton Manning playing as well as he has, any receiver the Colts plug in to a starting role is worth the look.

Kevin Walter, HOU, WR: Walter had a pretty impressive 2008 campaign when he totaled 899 yards receiving and added eight touchdowns.  The Texans offense hes regained its form, but many owners were quick to drop Walter after missing the first two weeks due to injury and seeing Schaub struggle in the opening game.  This week we got to see Walter back on the field and he impressed with seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.  If he was dropped in your league, be sure to pick him up.

Vernon Davis, SF, TE:  We don’t want to anoint Vernon Davis as finally having reached his potential after one good game, but Shaun Hill has been looking his way a lot more and that is good news for the incredibly athletic tight end.  His two touchdown performance will undoubtedly place a lot of attention on him, but if your team is in need of some depth at the position he is one guy you will want to take a chance on.  If he has in fact reached the level of play the 49ers have been hoping for, then it could mean big numbers throughout the rest of the season for Davis.

It is being reported that Singletary recently ripped first-round pick Michael Crabtree for running routes before he was medically cleared to do so.  Apparently, Singletary almost made the young wide-out cry in the process.  Here is what happened in his own crazy words.

“I’ve got nothing against you. I’m not angry or anything. I just want you to know, you have to do everything the doctors want you to do so that you can get better.’ I said, ‘I’m not worried about what you can do.’ I said, ‘I know. We drafted you at No. 10. We know what you can do. We just want to make sure that when you come out here, you’re ready to go.’ So, he’s done the things that he needs to do, spending a lot of time with (receivers coach Jerry] Sullivan. I know Jerry is excited about what he’s seeing as well.”(TheScoresReport)

It doesn’t seem all the bad in this format, but juts imagine Coach Singletary screaming this at the top of his lungs with his trademark eyes bulging out of his head.

Another player who knows all about the wrath of Singletary is underachieving tight end Vernon Davis, who was publicly embarrassed by Singletary last season.  It made for one of the most entertainer post-game rants ever.

In Daniel, we have the quintessential top-notch college quarterback. He has solid mechanics, leadership ability, and athleticism. He’s been extremely accurate over his college career, completing better than 67% of his passes in slightly more than three seasons. He has shown the ability to get outside the pocket and make some tough throws on the run. He has also been a decent weapon as a runner, and has been a finalist for several major awards over the last two seasons. The best thing about Daniel to me is that I believe he can get better, as he has shown consistent improvement as his career has progressed.

Daniel will be fighting an uphill battle at the next level, however, and that hill may be too steep for him to climb for long. He has decent size, at 225 lbs, but he is extremely “vertically challenged”, and will probably measure out at slightly under six feet at the combine. His arm is also a major question mark in a league where arm strength is highly valued. Most of the passes he’s thrown in Missouri’s offense are five to fifteen yard timing throws. When he does throw deep, it is rarely into a tight window, as speedster Jeremy Maclin has made his life fairly easy in that department. Throwing for distance isn’t the problem, though. It’s the eighteen yard deep outs from seven yards deep in the backfield that I would worry about as a scout. Those balls are thrown routinely in most NFL offenses, and it takes arm strength to get them there on time, without being defended or picked off.

There are many other factors that Daniel will need to improve as he fights for an NFL roster spot next season, not the least of which is his obvious inability to read coverage down the field. Again, much of that probably relates to the offense he ran at Missouri, but it is something that will concern scouts nonetheless. When he does drop back and read coverage, he tips his hand far too soon by staring down his first read much of the time. The likes of Ed Reed would devour him due to that major flaw. He also holds on to the ball much longer than an NFL quarterback should, a trait which usually indicates an inability to process information quickly, leading to sacks, fumbles, or bad decisions at the next level. If he were three inches taller, I’d be forced to give him a third round grade, based on potential, and his experience as a passer. Unfortunately, he is not 6’3”, and that fact alone will push him down draft boards. Combine the rest of his imperfections with his lack of height and arm strength, and he will probably go somewhere in round five or six.

The other Chase in Missouri’s offense, however, is a different story altogether. Chase Coffman, the 6’5” 255 lb tight end, son of former NFL TE Paul Coffman, is going to be an awesome pro! I love this guy, and think he should receive first round consideration by teams at the end of round one. Coffman is not your typical tight end, something that makes his evaluation a bit difficult, and has rarely been tested as a blocker, but has exceptional athletic ability for a man his size. He is a very versatile player, and displayed excellent receiving skills from the slot. He has great hands and uses his body well to create separation and to make tough catches in traffic. He can “go up and get it” as well, and would definitely be a weapon on the goal line.

Coffman does not have ideal speed like Chicago’s Greg Olsen, or San Fran’s Vernon Davis, but is quick enough to get open consistently at the next level. He is a highly intelligent football player that comes from great bloodlines and will learn the NFL game quickly. He will have no problem finding holes in zone coverage from day one. The knocks on his speed and question marks about his blocking ability will most likely cause him to slide into the second round, where he should go quickly.

Ironically, Missouri’s top prospect is not named Chase, though I believe it will be a household name within three years. Jeremy Maclin, the 6’1” 200 lb wide out with sub 4.4 speed is definitely the cream of the crop on the Missouri campus. This guy is a Playmaker! Notice the capital P. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball and, in Missouri’s offense, he touched it all day long. Used as a return man, in the running game, and as a primary receiver, Maclin was Mr. Everything for the Tigers in both seasons he played, after red shirting in ’06.

His adjustment to the NFL will not be seamless, however, so a rookie of the year award is probably not in his future. He has much to learn about running routes as well as reading and adjusting to coverage, but will be utilized immediately as a punt and kick returner. He is very comparable, in ability, to Dolphins WR Ted Ginn, and his progression into an NFL offense will probably take as long. By the end of his third season, Maclin should become a primary target in the NFL, and will be competing for a Pro Bowl roster spot. He is a first round LOCK in ’09, and will most likely go in the top 20. Look for the Jets at 17 or the Bears at 18 to snatch him up.

Interestingly enough, this allows me to answer another question posted by “Gator Bait” who asked, “What are your thoughts on Percy Harvin? Where do you think he should go and how will he fair?”

Some may call me crazy, but I’ve seen enough film on Harvin and Maclin both to feel confident in saying that if you had them swap jerseys, you wouldn’t know the difference. I guess that I’d have to give Maclin an edge as a return specialist, but that will only matter in the short term. Okay, Maclin is also about two inches taller and maybe five pounds heavier, but everything else is pretty identical. The only real glaring difference is the roles they played on their respective teams, causing Maclin’s numbers to be much more impressive. Had Harvin signed with Missouri, and Maclin with Florida, I think the numbers would have been no better or worse in either offense for either player. The strengths and weaknesses are the same for both players, and the developmental projections I listed for Maclin will be the same for Harvin. It’s rare for me to see two guys so closely measured, and equally talented, but I’ve tried to find differences, and I just don’t see anything worth mentioning. The two inches in height and the extra opportunities Maclin was afforded at Missouri puts him ahead of Harvin in the draft, but Harvin will most likely be the third wide receiver taken in April, with an excellent chance of going at the end of the first round.